Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge number of quality titles across almost every category since launching back in 2017, and the RPG genre is certainly no exception. Below you'll find our picks for the console's essential role-playing games, in no particular order. This selection will evolve over time as Switch's library expands even further.

But where's Witcher 3? Where's Dragon's Dogma? Where's Game X, Game Y and Game Z? Well, given Switch's ample library, we feel that spreading out the genres a little gives games across the spectrum more room to breathe. Therefore, this collection steps away from the 'action' prefixed branch of RPGs, instead embracing a more traditional role-playing flavour. Debates will forever rage over stratified categories, granular sub-genres, side-genres, -likes, -lites, -like-lites, etc, when it comes to RPGs, but that's all part of the fun, no? The titles below are a standout selection of games with more traditional RPG mechanics.

Prefer real-time combat? Check out our selection of the best action-RPGs on Switch. If you're a fan of strategy RPGs you'll want to peruse our picks of the best strategy games on Switch. And if you're looking for more info, be sure to dive into our reviews via the appropriately titled 'Our Review' button for detailed breakdowns on each and every game below.

So sit back, relax and get ready to enjoy some sweeping epics...

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a massive, sprawling RPG built by Monolith Soft, who developed the previous two entries and the Baten Kaitos games on the GameCube. The team also helped Nintendo design the world of Breath of the Wild, so there's no doubting the pedigree. You'll explore a massive open world made up of Titans – enormous living creatures that house entire civilisations on their bodies. Along the way you'll meet a wide variety of characters, solve a bunch of quests, and save the world. It's Monolith Soft doing what it does best, albeit without shaking off the occasional flaws of the series. This is another Xenoblade gem, though, and a must-have on Switch.

Honourable Mention:

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a huge standalone DLC, Torna: The Golden Country, that's also well worth playing through. It serves as a prequel to the events of 2, so you can play it before or after.

Undertale is a brilliant and smartly designed game that understands well what makes a good RPG work; so much so that it can upend expectations and deliver something that’s almost a satire of the genre. You fall into the underworld and explore a humour-tinged world full of fun things to do. You'll date a skeleton, dance with a robot, and cook delicious dishes with a woman who's part-fish. Or, you can do none of those things – Undertale delights in letting you decide what to do.

It manages to surprise you in so many unique ways, and even if it doesn’t look like much, Undertale has way more going for it under the surface. Excellently written characters, a genre-bending battle system and a solid soundtrack make this one an easy recommendation. Do yourself a favour and give this one a download.

While Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition doesn’t make any major changes to the original game, it does combine practically every piece of exclusive content into one wholesome package. With the benefit of some improved visuals in both cutscenes and gameplay, it’s very difficult to recommend this JRPG classic on any other system than Nintendo Switch thanks to how well it performs in both docked and handheld modes. If you’ve missed out on this classic, there’s never been a better way to rectify that error.

Despite a title that suggests it came out of a name generator, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a satisfying slice of JRPG with visuals inspired by the likes of World of Warcraft, Divinity: Original Sin, and classic Diablo adventures. It forges a confident, colourful character of its own from formulaic ingredients. The approachable comic style, plus a couple of neat mechanics that encourage experimentation, give it a freshness that belies the age-old systems at its core, and it doesn’t waste your time with filler. Ultimately, it’s the same old story – numbers go up! – but it’s shot through with an infectious exuberance and attention to detail that reinvigorates old tropes.

Child of Light is an absolutely gorgeous RPG developed in the same UbiArt Framework that gifted us Rayman Origins and Legends. You play as Aurora, who's on a quest to save her ill father and former kingdom. It also features co-op, with one player taking on the role of Igniculus, the shiny little ball of light.

The ‘light’ in the title sums things up nicely – you get game mechanics usually reserved for massive RPG epics in a concise package that’s as beautifully refreshing as when it was first released. It’s a shame to see framerate hitches – however occasional they may be – but they’re not enough to cast a shadow on this delightful adventure.

Final Fantasy VII is the sort of game that speaks for itself, a touchstone of game design that played a large role in setting the standard of RPGs for years to come. It goes without saying that you should give Final Fantasy VII a shot if you consider yourself to be a fan of RPGs, as this is an experience unlike any other in many ways. With that being said, it’s also the sort of thing that has since been surpassed in almost every manner by games that took the concepts it introduced and expanded upon them in plenty of new and more interesting ways. Final Fantasy VII is a relic of its time, but that doesn’t mean it’s to be respected any less; if you can look past the obviously antiquated elements, this is a well-paced, engaging RPG that’s still fun to play today.

An indie adventure with a lush world, fun characters, and enjoyable battles, Earthlock brings the soul of PS1-era JRPGs to the Switch with excellent results. Inconsistent dialogue and notable load times are among its few missteps, but as a package, it captures the appeal of the epoch wonderfully. If you’re looking for a fresh-feeling JRPG that still calls back to the classics, this is a lovely choice.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a direct sequel to The Stick of Truth, and once again places you in the shoes of the New Kid. You'll fight alongside your favourite South Park characters in the superhero group Coon and Friends against the villainous Professor Chaos who is trying to eliminate them.

Don't be fooled by the cartoon visuals, as this is not one for the kids. The humour – while hilarious – is offensive and adult in nature. You'll create your own super hero, complete with costume, origin story, and superpowers as you explore South Park at night to save it from evil. While it’s no great leap from the mechanics of the first game, it still offers an ideal introduction for players looking to try out a turn-based RPG and would make a worthy addition to any genre fan's collection.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are beautiful reimaginings of a video game classic, updating a 20-year-old game in ways which make it infinitely more accessible and user-friendly for a modern audience, while keeping the magic first discovered all those years ago. On the downside, the newly-introduced motion control mechanic is fun but flawed, forcing us to shift from one play style to another to get the best experience, and while efforts have been made to bring the game up to the standard of more recent entries when it comes to depth and complexity, hardcore fans may consider the whole experience too much of a cakewalk.

Still, the game does a superb job of striking a balance between being an easy route of entry for newcomers to the series and offering just enough post-game challenge and competitive play elements (and nostalgia, of course) to please series veterans; as a result, these new titles really do offer something for everyone, which can't always be said of the mainline Pokémon entries. They might not be an absolute masterpiece, but we’d urge any Poké-fans out there to give these ones a go – if a Let’s Go Johto sequel is on the cards, we’ll happily be there waiting in line.

Over ten years on from the Nintendo DS original, The World Ends With You has lost none of the fun or style that made it such a cult classic. Although the controls leave something to be desired, the chaotic battle system, catchy soundtrack, and engaging storyline all combine to make this an unforgettable RPG that hits all the right points. We’d give this one a high recommendation to anyone that hasn’t yet experienced this gem in some form; there’s plenty here to make it worth your time. If you’ve experienced the game before, however, we’d advise that you think hard about how badly you want it for your Switch. If this is the last we see of this property, then The World Ends With You: Final Remix feels like a fitting send-off, even if it isn’t perfect.

Final Fantasy has been an institution in the JRPG genre for decades now, and Final Fantasy IX acts as a good reminder of why. Memorable characters, a wacky (if somewhat meandering) story, deep character customisation, and plenty of incredible environments certainly help make a case for why Final Fantasy IX deserves a spot on your Switch’s SD card, even if some elements of this game’s design have aged like milk. If you’re a fan of RPGs and somehow haven’t played Final Fantasy IX yet, it’s certainly worth a download for the privilege of playing this classic on the go. On the other hand, if you’re just getting into RPGs, Final Fantasy IX may be a little too obtuse and archaic to recommend when compared to more modern releases. Whichever camp you may fall in, the bottom line is that, warts and all, Final Fantasy IX remains a great RPG to this day; you likely won’t regret picking this one up.

Gavin loves a bit of couch co-op, especially when he gets to delegate roles, bark instructions and give much-appreciated performance feedback at the end. He lives in Spain (the plain-y bit where the rain mainly falls) and his love for Banjo-Kazooie borders on the unhealthy.

I’m kinda surprised YIIK is on this list, considering how many things I’ve heard about people hating that game. I guess somebody at Nintendo Life likes it, which, good for them.

I’m also surprised Final Fantasy IX is the only FF on this list. IX is great, but I’d argue that it’s the weakest of the four FF games on the Switch. I’m playing through XII for the first time, and oh my goodness, that game is every bit as good as people have been telling me for the past 13 years. I’m very surprised it’s not on this list.

@Cissero I really couldn't get on with Diablo. I put about 12 hours into it but it was just so easy. I had it on the hardest setting that you can choose initially, and I don't think I died once. I was playing a wizard and there is an energy beam attack which is so overpowered that I never used a single other attack. All I had to do was walk around holding down a single button while doing a bit of mana management. I really don't get the love for it. I sold it and bought Civ 5 though so I'm not too fussed

@jcvandan Nice yeah Diablo isn't for everyone. The game turns different at max level though, but it's mostly just a gear grind at that point haha. I do enjoy it as I can do it solo and get my competetiveness from the leaderboards. The beam will not feel that overpowered anymore then haha. Still good that you tried and build your own opinion Civ 5 is a great game too!

No more FFs, really?? Not even VII, considered as one of the best games ever made? And what about Ys VIII? And Dragon's Dogma? I don't know, I would change several indie games from the list for these ones in a heartbeat... But this is not my list, of course.

Anyway, regarding the new ones (no ports), I can't recommend Xenoblade 2 enough, along with its expansion. In my top 3 of Switch games (just after Zelda and Smash).

@Tirza Agreed but it is a strategy RPG. I think it's important to separate RPG's like mainline Final Fantasy games with games like Final Fantasy Tactics. People looking for a Final Fantasy type RPG probably aren't interested in an SRPG.

@Crono1973 they are Tactical RPGs considered RPGs at their core. That’s where people look for them. And unless they are making separate list for strategy/tactical RPGs, which I doubt. It does harm to separate them because no one would find them. They are smaller subset of RPGs. Where would you put them?

Hello everybody! We've updated the list to reflect some new releases, including the deluge of FFs. All these lists will evolve over time and get updated periodically.As for any obvious action-RPG absences, we're well aware As outlined in the introduction, this genre in particular is a nightmare of stratas, substratas, etc. The above selection focuses on RPGs with more traditional mechanics, but it could obviously be further subdivided. Watch this space for further (d)evolution

I've just sold Octopath Traveller along with a couple of other games to make way for the upcoming realease schedule. I thought to myself, you're never going to have time to play though that again, but I've already got sellers regret. Darn!

As much as every compilation like this is bound to be very subjective, I am really glade Atelier Lulua made it onto the list! That is, indeed, one of the best Atelier games, which are really different from other RPGs.

I cannot recommend The World Ends With You enough. The first time I played it on the DS, it blew me out of the water. I love everything about it: the art style, the music, the writing, the gameplay. If you want something different, don’t pass it up.

As an RPG fan/player im always with the story, battle style, character, skills and Im always relieved whenever Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is on the list or gets recognized! The game and most specially the story is really massive and superb for me! Best RPG game for me next to FFIX (which was my childhood game)! Im currently playing the Tales of Vesperia and im also hooked.

Octopath Traveler would have been WAY better if it weren't for that awful story... keeping track of eight separate storylines is exhausting and pretty jarring when you switch from one story to another.

Maybe I lost some details along the way, but I can't see the Witcher 3 in the list, nor any Zelda game.
Edit: uh, ok, those are listed among the action-rpgs... uhmm...

@N64-ROX you just can't tell what the best zelda is, they all rock and that would be very reductive for the other titles of the series. All you can do is tell which ones you have a "slight personal prefencence" for.

@AcesCharlesLol this list is pretty ehhh. Outside of Xenoblade chronicles I'd rather play any of them on either PC or PS4.Typical of Trolls. Try taking the PC/PS4 outside of your house to the park or transits and you see how poor this statement is.

Why the hell would I play video games at the park? Plenty of other things to do. Transits, I'll grant. Honestly though I'm ok with waiting until I get home to play so in that case either PC or ps4 beat the switch versions by a landslide.

@LunarFlame17 Completely agree with everything you said about FF series. 12 is probably my second or third favorite of the entire series and 9 has always been a bit bewildering to me, if I'm to be completely honest. People praise it for capturing classic FF while simultaneously modernizing to the PS1 era of games but I always felt it missed the mark on both counts. To top it all off the game CHUGS, even with the added ability to speed up combat the game still feels slow and there are moments in battle where the game seemingly has no idea what to do or who's turn it is and then just chooses who goes next at random after thinking about it critically for 10-15 seconds or about 5 seconds if you are fast-forwarding the thing.

Why Xenoblade 2 and Diablo 3 are in both list, here and in Action RPGs?? That makes these articles very confusing... I would create just one list for all of them, and the games that can't be considered RPGs (like Hyrule Warriors or Fire Emblem Warriors) or are nit good enough (Lost Sphear, some indies) just kick them out. It'd be much more useful.

@KBuckley27I enjoyed everything about Ni No Kuni apart from the combat which is neither action-based nor turn-based. I prefer to have full control over my character(s)' actions in battle. That's the secret to Zelda (action RPGs) and Dragon Quest (turn-based RPGs).

I am just now finishing up Trials of Mana for the first time (one elemental boss and then the big bad to go). I had already finished DQXI and I was surprised how much DQXI used similar game play things that are in Trials of Mana. It almost felt like I was playing DQXI at times. Still good though.

"Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a huge standalone DLC, Torna: The Golden Country, that's also well worth playing through. It serves as a prequel to the events of 2, so you can play it before or after."

Least accurate, worst thing I've read on this site in a while. Being a prequel absolutely doesn't mean you can play it before or after. There's no fathomable reason you should or would play it before Xenoblade 2. And if you did, it would ruin about 80% of the game's plot in a matter of hours. A lot of it in a matter of minutes. It 100% assumes you know the story of Xenoblade 2 already. And in fact, it was originally meant to be backstory revealed late in the game before the end, but they fleshed it out enough that it deserved a full game, essentially.

@Deltath
All the main-series Zelda games are action RPGs. When you play, you feel like you are the main character, and that's because the games have all the characteristics of true RPGs: a world to explore at your leisure, combat, character growth, and a story that is not written by a writer but created by you and the actions that you decide to take.

Not only are Zelda games action RPGs, they are among the very few action RPGs in existence. The "Tales Of" games aren't RPGs, because too often you don't decide what you do: the combat plays itself, since you have a bunch of hangers-on that you don't control. Star Ocean is similar. Apart from Zelda, the only true action RPGs that come to mind are Zelda clones such as Golden Axe Warrior, Neutopia and Sylvan Tale.

@TheWingedAvenger Feeling like the character and deciding what you do aren't elements that are related to the VIDEO game genre called RPG. The silly concept that because it has "roleplaying" in the name it means any game where you play a role is something a lot of people argue (and it seems like you're doing that now), but the level to which you're invested in being a particular character is genreless. There are tons of games of every genre where you make tons of decisions and get deeply entrenched as a particular character. That doesn't mean a first person shooter or a life sim or a puzzle platformer are suddenly RPGs because they have those elements.

From a gameplay perspective, there are a number of particular attributes that have become universally accepted to be part of the RPG genre and nothing you mentioned is it. The Tales games are absolutely RPGs and the Zelda games are not. It doesn't make them better games, it just makes them RPGs. FYI, if you think Tales plays itself, you've either barely ever played Tales or you've played on too easy a difficulty. Some of the Tales games have the most blindingly challenging action RPG combat of any games out there. And they make great co-op.

This idea that only a few games are "true action RPGs" is something you've created in your own head. Not a reality.